About the author
More articles by 'Tatiana Gabroussenko'
Why North Korea’s TikTok hit marks a win for Kim Jong Un’s globalization dreams
DPRK culture rarely resonates overseas due to focus on leader cult, but viral song provides a template for success
Lost in translation: When US and North Korean filmmakers made a movie together
‘The Other Side of the Mountain’ aimed to transcend politics, but was weighed down by a sappy plot and pro-DPRK message
A North Korean novel searches for meaning in the dramas and joys of family life
Ri Hui Chan expounds on centrality of family in way that is striking in a country that exalts leader as father of nation
Newest North Korean film mimics South’s violent cinema, to disastrous results
‘A Day and a Night’ attempts to distract youth from foreign films, but in the process undermines its propaganda message
How North Korean cinema betrays simmering resentment of country’s nouveau riche
2011 film uses story of a factory manager demoted to cobbler to critique rise of grassroots capitalism in country
Why North Korean films depict foreigners as ditsy Kim family worshipers
State narratives twist history to avoid glorifying outsiders, portraying even Soviet heroes as dependent on DPRK peers
Disappearing act: North Korea digitally scrubs lead actor from popular TV series
Digital recasting of Choe Ung Chol after 20 years may have been triggered by romantic escapades and political missteps
The clumsy propaganda of North Korean radio plays
Radio networks launched under Kim Jong Un try to win hearts and minds of South Koreans but are often comically inept
A kinder, gentler North Korea? How the DPRK’s popular culture embraced humanism
Amid unprecedented hardships, several films and dramas promoted a surprising spirit of acceptance and forgiveness
International affairs: How North Korean films portray cross-cultural romance
North Korea remains an ethnocentric state in which a person of non-Korean blood can never be an equal member of society
